min familj

'my family'...in Swedish.

i spent the day with the family at Grona Lund, an amusement park here in Stockholm. it's actually in a very beautiful location - right on the Baltic Sea. all of the rides have these amazing views of the sea, and the Old Town, Sodermalm, and Djurgarden...all the prettiest parts of Stockholm. anyway, it was pretty fun, we took the kids this afternoon and rode all of the kiddy rides, and me and Joakim and Annelie took turns going on the 'big' rides, like the Free Fall ride, and the Broomstick roller coaster. i love amusement parks, but Annelie and Joakim kept telling me, 'this isn't much compared to America's amusement parks!' and they were right...the US has some ridiculous roller coasters. but it was still a ton of fun.

after being at Grona Lund (i think it means Green Forest), we went to dinner at Pontus by the Sea, which is one of the nicest restaurants in Stockholm. it's situated right on the sea side, and today was a gorgeous day, so we spent the meal watching the boats come in and out of the harbor, and it was fabulous. the family - from the kids, of course - got me a necklace that's called 'Kisses' and it has 2 little silver 'X's that dangle off a big 'X', and it's supposed to signify a kiss from each kid. it's beautiful and delicate, and i love it.

let me just say, i will miss these days of having champagne BEFORE the meal, having a starter, a huge meal, followed by dessert and a latte. in 9 days it will be back to the world of 2 for 1 appetizers at Applebees...

i have to get packing for my trip to France tomorrow (the taxi is coming at 6AM - ugh), but here's a couple pictures from the night -